Harry Potter and the Final Sacrifice
by 2InsanitiesIn1
Summary: Harry has defeated Voldermort, the final battle won. Though Harry and Ginny have been travelling around Europe, the loss of Sirius, Dumbledore and worst of all, Ron and Hermione has made the victory a tragic one. But what if one simple everyday object cou
1. Prague

_Disclaimer- I own nothing of the Harry Potter franchise._

_This is a new story from me, Ms. O which I'm not really sure is that good, so it would be great if I got some feedback. Constructive criticism is muchly appreciated so PLEASE REVIEW!_

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It had been more than six months since the reign of the Dark Lord had ended and still Harry could feel Tom Riddle's presence. One in a while, when he recalled that final battle, the final destruction of the final piece of Voldermort's soul, a pang in his forehead just beneath the lightening bolt scar would disturb him to his core. There was no rhyme to this incessant pain, at times he would be awoken by it deep in the middle of the night and there would be no way for him to return to his peaceful slumber. Which of course would wake Ginny, leaving the both of them to lie morningly in each other's arms, longing for the loss of their loved ones to be erased from their memories. 

Unfortunately, the night before had been another one of those nights. As Harry and Ginny walked hand in hand down the market square just a few meters from the hostel they were staying at, both resembled characters out of a zombie film. Ginny's eyes had almost permanent bags and Harry's overall demeanor worsened by the hour.

"Want to see if there's a film playing over at the theatre? We usually fall asleep to all those Russian romantic musicals." Ginny suggested, suppressing a yawn beneath her breath.

"Nah, I'm sick of the theatre." Harry replied, browsing the rows and rows of freshly picked produce on either side of the exhausted couple.

"All the more reason to go. We'll both be bored out of our minds, thus lulling us to a peaceful and shameless sleep." Ginny said, trying her best to give credence to her argument with a fake smile.

"I think if my exhaustion isn't putting me to sleep, than nothing else will." Harry said, picking up a fresh bunch of red grapes and examining their condition.

"I still don't understand why we don't just conjure a slumber charm for you. It would make this all a lot easier." Ginny glanced at the grapes as well but was more interested in their conversation than food.

"I told you, Ginny. When we use a charm the pain is worse, I get dreams about him again." Ginny saw the sincerity in Harry's tone even though his eyes were still directed at the grapes. She knew how it felt to have the power of the Dark Lord running through your veins and completely debilitating any normal everyday function.

Perhaps this was the reason why Harry and Ginny had ended up in Prague in the first place. Ever since Ginny graduated from Hogwarts, Harry and Ginny had been wandering around Europe, using the money the ministry awarded Harry with to stay at hotels and hostels and bed and breakfasts across the continent. They told Arthur and Molly that this was because they wanted to have what the muggles called "backpacking" in order to find some things out about themselves. Truly, Harry and Ginny were running away, they were being chased by the pain that was haunting them in England and the only way for them to escape it was to keep going. The week before they had been in Vienna for the Danube Parade, a week before that they feasted on Venetian cuisine beneath the moonlight, followed by a gondola stroll down the Italian waterways. It all seemed magical in theory, and even when they were experiencing it they couldn't help but smile at how far they'd come together, but they were pained by the constant memory of that final battle, of the losses that came along with their victory.

The silence that followed Harry's comment carried on until they reached the knick-knacks and re-used clothing stands at the end of the market. Their hands separated and they wandered amongst old moldy books and sheets of stained linen. Ginny spotted a set of needles on the cloth stand next to a bowl of thimbles. She realized that she needed a new sewing set, ever since her mother had sent her some cloth from London, she had gotten into the habit of sewing her own clothes. It was much less costly than buying new clothes everywhere they went, and Ginny enjoyed piecing together different fabrics from different cities, she felt as if she was uniting all Europe with a simple piece of thread. She felt complete when she busied herself with such an arbitrary task. She picked up the sewing kit, some reasonably clean sheets of green cotton and randomly chose a thimble from the pile. She payed the woman in the parasol with whatever she had left in her penny purse and stashed the goods into her sidebag. Harry had met her back over near the final end of the market and bought some chocolate instead of the healthier choice of fruits. The chocolate reminded him of Remus, someone he hadn't seen since the final battle. Remus and Tonks had ended up gaining prestigious positions at the ministry and according to Molly, Tonks was well on her way to becoming assistant to the new Minister, Arthur. Harry and Ginny may have traveled across the continent to escape the life they used to have, but they both dearly missed the people that came along with that life.

Hopeful that sleep would soon be near, Ginny and Harry decided to return to the Hostel on a main street near the Government Castle and relax. Ginny sat at the side of the sagging bed with the sewing set and four sheets of Egyptian cotton in different shades of green, preparing to start a shirt for her father that she'd send back home. Harry lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling in frustration due to his lack of sleep.

"This thimble doesn't fit my finger." Ginny said randomly, trying to stick each of her fingers one by one into the metal hole.

"I have my wand if you want me to make it fit." Harry said, still staring at the now leaking ceiling. He didn't bother to attend to this new establishment.

"Oh, no I can do it." Ginny replied, stubbornly. She removed her wand from her sidebag, placed the thimble on the night stand and motioned her wand in sync with the incantation "_Spectarnumsentra" _

"Are you sure that's an enlarging spell?" Harry said, in response to the sound of the spell in his head. Suspicious and curious, Harry arose from the bed and switched his gaze to Ginny, who was sprawled across the other side of the room, a small black glow coming from the thimble. "Ginny! Are you alright?" Harry rushed to Ginny's side, wiping the beads of sweat and tears from her face.

"It...I..." Ginny breathed heavily, trying to get the words out properly. "It pushed me. I...I did the spell and it threw me over here!"

"I can see that, but are you alright, love?" He took Ginny by the hand and lifted her from the ground, noticing that a few articles of clothing had been strewn across the rest of their small hostel room.

"Yes, yes I'm fine...Just a bit startled." Harry directed Ginny to the bed, allowing her to sit safely on the side. "I wonder what in the world that was."

"Probably faulty. My Aunt Petunia used to have a bunch of thimbles around the house, they seemed so pointless to me. Never been a fan of them." Harry commented, which caused Ginny to laugh slightly. "We're definitely not going to let you use that one. In fact, no thimbles at all!"

"Harry, that's ridiculous. One scary thimble and I have to swear them off for the rest of my life?"

"Yes, of course!"

"I swear, ever since the battle you've been so neurotic." Ginny realized once she finished the sentence just how insensitive she was being. The truth was, they both have been eternally scarred by the events of that day and even the smallest scare such as a loud airplane or a three-legged dog sent both of them into complete shock. "I'm sorry" Ginny offered, trying to redeem herself.

Harry's gaze had now followed to his feet, nodding slightly in recognition of Ginny's gesture. He knew that Dumbledore never would have wanted him to act so foolishly, to mourn as if the entire world had fallen on his head. He didn't want to live sulking constantly, but the loss of his two best friends was unbearable.

"I miss them too." Ginny said, as if she had read Harry's mind. She rubbed his still-scarred back consolingly and planted a sweet kiss on his cheek. "I miss them so much." Harry could feel the tingle of one of Ginny's tears trickle down his cheek in the spot where she had kissed him.

It seemed as if finally Harry and Ginny had gained the inch of sleep they so desperately needed. After lying in each other's arms for what seemed like ages, they had been overtaken by peaceful slumber well into the middle of the night. Unfortunately for the couple, they were awoken just after midnight, but not by Harry's scar.

"Did you hear that?" Ginny said, referring to the thump that so rudely interrupted them. They both glanced to the opposite end of the room where the window was situated, only to spot that Errol was smashed against the window, slowly slipping down the glass.

"Figures." Ginny said, rising from the bed and opening the latch for Errol to safely fly in. "Mum and Dad have impeccable timing." She removed the small letter of parchment from Errol's arm and searched for something to feed the bird. She spotted the half-eaten bar of chocolate on the night stand and reached for a small piece. "Can owls eat chocolate?"

"I don't see why not." Harry replied with a yawn. Ginny smiled and fed the piece to Errol, who seemed to enjoy it since he happily flew out the still open window. Ginny stepped back into bed beside Harry and opened the letter.

_My Dears,_

_I apologize already for disturbing you so suddenly, but there is something urgent that you must be here for. Please find a way to get back to the Burrow as soon as you can. I can't speak too much about it now, it's hard for me to even explain but IT IS VERY IMPORTANT!_

_Sincerely, _

_Mum and Dad_

"Do you think this is really serious?" Harry asked, sitting up with a cautious sincerity.

"I hope she's not making us come home for another dinner with Phlegm." Ginny grabbed a piece of chocolate from the night stand, fed a piece to Harry and saved one for herself.

"I dunno, it sounds important. I mean, usually she asks us how we're doing. And she must've sent Errol at least an hour ago. She wouldn't just send Errol at eleven so leisurely would she?"

"I assume you're right. We'll leave in the morning."

"Are you sure? How will we go? There's no floo network near us. We'll have to apparate.."

"Harry, calm down." She placed her index finger on his lips to cease his worrying. "It's fine. We'll wake up early tomorrow, find a safe spot and we'll apparate over. Ok? It's all going to be ok."

"You're right." Harry said as Ginny stroked his arm, trying to calm his nerves so he could return to his slumber. Ginny was trying her best to stay calm as well, but a pang of fear deep within her was undeniable, no matter how hard she tried to suppress and feign it.

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_PLEASE REVIEW!_


	2. A Dreadful Memory

**Disclaimer- I own nothing except the plot.**

**Ok, new chapter. For those of you loyal readers of And So It Begins, i'm sorry to say that i don't think you can expect a new chapter until late next week, mainly because Ms.O and Ms.I have school starting in two days. We promise the new chap will be worth the wait, ok?**

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He knows with every fiber of his being that the world did not mean for this, that whatever force was driving this insanity did not mean for such terror, such destruction and chaos. As Harry takes the seemingly fatal blow to his abdomen, he wonders why he does not see his world flashing before him. He doesn't understand why all he can see is a blurry view of the battlefield before __him, the school he once called his home crumbling to bits with every shot of a spell that made it's way from the mounds of Death Eaters floating through the air. He watches in pain as Neville Longbottom falls to the ground, his wand just out of reach and the agony of his flesh wounds finally sinking in. Not far behind, Draco Malfoy is hit with the killing curse, a row of green light bursting through him, Death Eaters turning on themselves. They know this is it, the end of the era. They know that only one will win, and their hate, their perpetual anger has driven them suicidally mad. _

_There is little hope as far as Harry can see. Nearby Percy Weasley uses what little strength he has left to fend off one of the Lord's followers that was in his year at school, pained to see how tormented his at one time friend has become. Up a far off staircase of the tower, Fred and George proudly pound a few weak men to the ground, opting for their fists instead of their wands. Harry searches for his true love, the one that his heart belongs to, hoping her life is safer than his has become. In the midst of the blur, he spots a mound of flaming red hair, the head it is attached to sporting a determined visage. Left and right she holds her ground, sending one enemy after the other to the ground with her spells. He's so proud of her, the woman she has become. He feels as if their first meeting at King's Cross was only a few days ago and now here they are, hoping to put an end to this relentless destruction._

_Her strength seems to give the him the boost of hope he needed; if his one and only can be so courageous, live up to that true Gryffindor persona they had been sorted into, then he must do the same. He must linger, never let the Dark Lord know that he has perished. The white-faced murderer, the vile man is not far from Harry's spot on the stone ground. He laughs in glee at how weak and frail Harry seems, relishing in the battle that he believes he has won. The joy even lasts through Harry's sudden rehabilitation, catching him off guard in the crowd that had become mostly filled with Death Eaters and bodies of the perished few that joined Harry in the battle. Harry sends an almost fatal blow to Voldermort's arm. _

_It seems strange to Harry, that after all he has been through, the rebirth of the Dark Lord, the fending off of his minions, the search for the seven Horcruxes, that this was all he had to do left. Before he had found any of the remaining pieces of Voldermort's soul, destroying the final part, Voldermort himself, seemed more daunting than any task he had ever completed. Now he can see the man before him and he suddenly envelops a feeling from deep within. That is all he is, he thinks to himself, a man. He is just a man._

_The blow to Voldermort's arm disarms him for just enough time so that Harry can pummel the man in the black cloak to the ground. Flipping in a bit of a roll off of the Dark Lord, Harry stands a safer distance back from him, sending an 'expelliarmus' blow just that way. The Lord blocks it with an even stronger red ray, one that Harry has never seen before, sending a surge through Harry's wand, almost like muggle electrocution. The power this blast sends through Harry's body is a rush he will never be able to describe. Each limb is numb from the flood enfolding around him, each cell seeming as if it is morphing into something else. It's something Harry has never been familiar with, it is a sense of hate and fury he has never felt before. Some part of his soul knows that this is what drives Lord Voldermort every day, and Harry can see now how his strange characteristics were attained. Parseltongue, the Visions, all of it, even the scar. Now he feels the fury, the pure disgust and disdain for everything around him. This feeling is teeming through him, with no plug to keep it inside, but only one outlet for it to lie. With all the thoughts he can muster from his brain, Harry directs this red glow back through his wand, the electric surge carrying so fast in the Dark Lord's direction that the blow straight between the two red eyes almost seems as if it didn't happen. But it did._

_Before Harry, Ginny, the remaining soldiers of the Dark Lord and those who were behind Harry stand before the mangled body on the ground, the surge of red light now bursting through his stomach, his heart turning to a coal black in his chest and the skin that was once white becoming a dark shade of gray_. _The remains of his bones slowly are crumbling beneath the skin, which seems as if it is only a sheet of gray intertwined with the pitch black robes. The red eyes, the once petrifying red eyes are simple small marbles on the floor, crushed by a blow of Harry's boot, the red remains scattered amongst what was left of the Dark Lord._

_In shock, the Death Eaters one by one pop from the scene, from the crumbling remains of Hogwarts, their rage and pain still present on their faces, but now marked with an overwhelming aura of fear. _

_Ginny runs to Harry's side, examining his battered body which reveals how fragile it has become in the past few minutes. To support him from falling, she takes one of his arms and flings it over her shoulder, carrying him down the steps to safety and solace. The Dark Mark that at been permanently imprinted on the black sky is no longer present, only an embellished space of stars between the earth and the heavens. Ginny's joy hasn't come, her overwhelming feeling of release not present, at least not the feeling she expected. Harry, numb from the battle, hopes he will feel a release, hopes that the drain of whatever sense of energy he had left will pass. He hopes he can finally relish in his victory. As they walk down the steps, they seem like the only ones standing, for the good have fallen to the ground either lifeless or wounded. They reach a spare platform , a space between a hallway of the castle and a nearby staircase. Ginny rests Harry up against a stone wall, careful not to let him fall through the gaping hole that had become present near one of the casualties. She rests as well, allowing Harry to lean on her shoulder._

"_You did it Harry. It's over. You did it."_ _The words she speaks are meant to be more enthusiastic, but each part of her body takes more strength to say those words than anything she has even executed in her entire life._

_Harry only lets out a small growl, and the slight sound of the word "We." can be deciphered through the weak mess._

_Ginny laughs. "I guess so." Immediately, these words spark something inside her. A part of her isn't right. A part of her that has driven through her blood since birth is no longer there, as if an absence is sent through her veins. She works the strength to rise from her place, lifting her legs up slowly, though wanting to run as fast as her normal strength would take her. With her mind, she conjures a navigation charm, her wand out forward in front of her. A tiny illuminated blue dot becomes present just in front of her, directing her through the halls, up a few staircases, each of which she struggles to climb. The blue light waits_ _Ginny to catch up, keeping the pace once she reaches closer. She finds herself before a room so familiar, a room_ _she must have been in a thousand times back in her fourth year. The Room of Requirement's door had been completely burnt to a crisp, the black sooty edges framing a black hole of empty space. The enchantment had been lifted, the protection spells defeated, the charms of hope gone to waste with what only seemed like a simple blow._

_If it wasn't for the fact that Ginny knows exactly who had inhabited the room, she would have passed the sight quickly, searching further for her brother and best friend._ _Crushing to the ground, tears flooding from her eyes, her hands covering the tears she wishes never would have to fall, Ginny Weasley realizes what she should have known all along. Just next to the black hold of a doorframe, are two bodies. One is topped with a mass of bushy brown hair, the other an orange red, their arms enveloped in each others, the life taken from them, so quickly._

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_Please Review! I hope I can get at least 10._


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